I'm a bit behind on posting my summer tunes this year but better late than never! I can't think of a better one to start with than this glittering gem from Puro Instinct. You can always count on them to deliver dreamy tunes that make your heart flutter like bumping into your crush at the Mall in front of the 5.7.9.

Poppies charm and disarm with their bold beauty: one that belies the complex reality of how humans have used the potent and often lethal chemicals they hold. They are a symbol of remembrance of wartime sacrifice and as the source of the deadly heroin that constitutes Afghanistan's main export (albeit, obviously a black market) & funding sources for the Taliban and other extremist groups in the region. The poppy is so many things to so many people; it can't help but make a compelling and fascinating subject.

N.B.: I created this in tandem with the game-changing digital painting app, Procreate, on the iPad. The intuitiveness of the interface and the degree of control that one has over the tools within the app is as close to real painting and illustration, as I have ever encountered. I would go so far as to say that for digital painting, it highly exceeds Adobe Photoshop, and it has a smaller learning curve than Corel Draw. If you are serious about illustration and find most digital tools to be a useful but tedious necessity, I can't recommend it enough for digital painting. You still will need Adobe CC to manipulate your work for professional use, but conveniently, you can easily export to psd from the app.

Full disclosure: this one is super catchy and will make you want to dance . Without feeling like a throwback, something about it makes me want to listen to some of the songs on Primal Scream's Screamadelica or Happy Mondays or Stone Roses or other madchestery acid house tinged tunes of the early 90s. The love-everyone-positive sunshiny lyrics contribute to that sentiment, I suppose. All I know for sure is I'm failing miserably at resisting the strong urge to hit repeat every time the song ends. Hashtag Infinite feedback loop.

Obviously, the perfect song to herald Independence Day weekend In the good ol' U.S. of the A is a j-pop-tinged electroromp by a young, iconoclastic Canadian bedroom synth maven. Duh! Actually, we still have a ways to go before living up to the testament of the Declaration of Independence, but it's reaffirming to know that we are making progress towards ensuring that's not just a bunch of pretty words on paper, but an accurate description of how life is for all in this country.

BTW, the ï with the umlaut or dieresis in Moodoïd, sounds like 'ee' in English. Ergo, it's pronounced Mood-OH-eed. It's good to know things like that so when you're trying to sound all savvy and cool, you actually DO sound all savvy and cool.

It's not really Summer without Elizabeth Fraser's chimeric soprano trilling over Guthrie & Raymonde's ethereal confections lulling you into the warm glowing bliss. It's the sonic equivalent of the sunlight beaming down on your face while a sudden cool wind blows through simultaneously.

This song reminds me of ambling about with no particular destination, in the company of the souls that are dearest to you; simply aiming at having an unforgettable and moving experience. To me, this is the heart of what Summer represents to so many of us, along with actually having the time to actually live and enjoy life. Also, banjo!

Preceding Malle's «Ascenceur pour l'échafaud» as well as Truffaut's «Les Quatre cent coups» by two years, Early Spring foreshadowed the move towards the intimate, quotidian microcosmic film narratives that would become the keystone of the European "New Wave" cinematic movements of the 1960's; effectively washing over the traditional storytelling styles and themes; and moreover, quintessentially redefine the quality of acting, the type of stories told, push the boundaries of the medium and renew the visual presentation of mainstream films from then on out. But every fire has a spark. And watching Early Spring as well as other later Ozu works, it doesn't take much to see that they provided many sparks of brilliance that helped feed that nascent, revolutionary fire.

The use of gaze, how it is averted, how it is cast, is outstanding in its complexities and how beautifully it's used to add another layer of narrative and emotional conveyance. The phrase "subtle yet palpable" best describes these visual cues. It's a thing of beauty, like witnessing an harmonious, impromptu dance, or a seemingly-perfect asymmetric composition. Yasujirō Ozu is one of my favorite directors and Early Spring is a good example as to the stories he chooses to tell and how he chooses to tell them that is so special and touching in the beauty.

N.B.: Running commentary captions included. May contain spoilers.

The morning after their illicit rendezvous, she gazes at him bewitched by the gauzy glowing blur cast by post-coital bliss.

He gazes, realizing he has lost the enthusiasm of her admiration.

Here, a loveless marriage where the parties cannot even bear to face one another.

The death of wifehood is welcomed, staring blankly upwards, on a lonely night full of doubt, suspicion, and resentment.

A conclusion of sorts is established by looking at one another; signifing the split of two separate individual lives bridged by the unspoken bond of shared memories.

Still great several years in... Not that it has ever left my awareness, of course. Never forget & Always ask the tough but important questions. And, don't forget to dance, which makes evetything worthwhile.

A few good tunes currently in heavy repeat mode. Take a listen or two, and you're sure to find something that stimulates you or sets your heart a flutter as much as mine.

FYI: In Español castellano, "sentí" is the 1st person past participle of the verb "sentir" meaning to feel, and in some contexts to care. "Mentí" is that same tense, but of the verb "mentir", meaning to (tell a) lie.

Sentimenti also refers to feelings or sentiments, in Italiano. The name of the playlist is a little play on all of those terms, reflexivity and mirroring, and the sometimes deceptive nature of emotions. Syntax matters, I suppose.

Initially, I had no intention to share this playlist but it's got so many wonderful upbeat tunes, tempered by serene and chill moments... It wouldn't be any fun to just keep it to myself!

There's some of the usual suspects here along with some perennial faves and new discoveries. Mainly, this is intended to be a preview of the albums that will be my companions through the month of August as I toil away the days. All this in preparation of a really cool happening taking place in October. Let's just say I'm going all OUT for it... But while I chip away at the grindstone, nothing transports me like some great music. It soothes my anxieties and de-stresses me unlike anything else.

I know you also work your fingers to the bone, I mean it's how most of us get by these days. But don't forget to do yourself a favor. Treat yourself to some really awesome music and maybe a nice piragüa de frambuesa (puertorrican raspberry sno-cone), or some bourbon butterscotch gelato, or some bing cherry pie. Enjoy them by yourself, or, if you're so lucky, with those special souls who make your heart a little warmer and your smiles a little wider.

This second video playlist is not-so-lil’: it’s brimming with some of my favorite synthy and gazey tunes that just happen to be great for these literally and figuratively torridly steamy days of midsummer.

Like the previous one, feel free to play either in the order I’ve chosen, or, throw caution to the wind and let those randomizing algorithms shake things up for you.

I can vouch to the repeat-worthiness of each and every one of these so having listened to them more times than I care to ennumerate here.